


Happy Accidents

by katopiyo



Series: Evens Month 2020 [3]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Background Heero Yuy/Trowa Barton, Established Relationship, Evens Month 2020, M/M, Post-EW, Way back there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25704697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katopiyo/pseuds/katopiyo
Summary: "It's cold, and steel Ferris wheel carriages aren't as sturdy as mobile suits.""Yeah, but at least we get a better view of the fireworks than everybody else."
Relationships: Duo Maxwell/Quatre Raberba Winner
Series: Evens Month 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859044
Kudos: 3





	Happy Accidents

**Author's Note:**

> Quatre is a _mess_.  
> The 1×3×1 counterpart to this work is to be posted by pkspsapphire at a later date.

Earth wasn't a bad place when there wasn’t a war being fought. The planet itself was beautiful, and seeing it in person really did make the colonies, though impressive in their extensive simulations, seem like a bunch of cheap, clunky knock-offs.

Night had fallen on the blue marble's sky, the warm colors of the sunset fading away into a wash of deep indigo and violet, illuminated by the distant moon and stars.

In the area near the shopping mall, the outdoor lights had been switched on, pale yellow and orange cast on the walkways and on visitors, smaller strings of lights hung in different places in different colors for the sake of keeping things interesting. The lights over this particular waiting area were a pleasant plain white. Idly gazing up at the tiny bulbs, Quatre thinks to himself how, if they were further away, they might blend in with the stars.

"Quat?"

Maybe he should buy a set for the apartment. Just for fun. It would look nice. Maybe he could hang them on the balcony. Did they have any that changed colors? Duo would probably have a field day with that.

"Quat! Are you listening?"

"Huh?" A familiar voice shakes Quatre out of his thoughts and back to the present. He turns to meet concerned violet eyes, tinted with a hint of amusement.

"Did ya hear what I said?" Duo asks with a light-hearted huff.

"Sorry," Quatre laughs awkwardly. "What about?"

"About where we'll sit on the Ferris wheel."  
"Oh, you can choose first. I don't mind."  
"I was asking if you wanted to sit next to each other."

Quatre's brain stutters, trying to comprehend the sudden suggestion, to separate the sound of Duo's warm voice from the holiday music playing distantly on the outdoor speakers. In the process, he also remembers that they're holding hands. Oh, right. They're on a date. Right. Right.

"Quat?" Duo peers at his face through messy chestnut fringe.

"...Don't people usually sit across from each other?" Quatre asks with a nervous chuckle.

"I dunno," Duo says, a little disheartened. "But since there's gonna be fireworks, I just thought that maybe we could-"

"I'll sit next to you," Quatre interrupts, uncharacteristically frantic.

Duo blinks. "...Well, guess that's settled, then."

It doesn't take long for Quatre's thoughts to wander again, this time taking in the rest of his and Duo's surroundings. It's still fairly crowded considering it's nearly midnight, and the harder Quatre looks, the more couples start appearing in the crowd. A fair bit ahead of them in line, a head of messy brown hair strikes him as familiar.

"Duo, is that…?" Quatre asks, gesturing toward the figure, trying to stay discreet.

"Hm?" Duo turns a confused look to the blond.

"...Nevermind," Quatre relents, looking back from the line to the man next to him, still holding his hand, rough fingers intertwined with his own, more delicate set.

Duo's expression shifts again to another one of more concern. "Are you okay? You seem out of it."

"Mm-hm," Quatre hums. "Just peachy." 

"Have you seen Trowa or Heero at all since we split off?" Duo asks.

Quatre shakes his head. "I don't think so, no."

"We should probably find them before we head back, huh?"  
"Probably, but…"

"I don't mind this, either," Quatre says, leaning in a little closer against Duo's arm for warmth. He assumes it's his imagination when he feels Duo stiffen slightly. He'd go a step further and rest his head against the braided man's shoulder, but maybe that would be too forward of him. 

...Would it?

The line moves forward slowly as more people load into the Ferris wheel's carriages. Quatre looks up at Duo, who's grown just a bit taller than him. His wavy brown hair is still neatly pulled into a braid the way it always was during the war, but it's started to come loose in some areas, flyaways peeking out near the base of his neck, where his hair is cut shorter to better frame his face. And frame it well it most certainly did.

A small smile on his lips, Quatre looks over Duo's features with fondness. He's known that face forever, but it feels like it gets more and more charming with each passing year. If it were appropriate, he'd reach out and touch Duo's face, maybe stroke his hair. Maybe he'd take initiative and… 

Before he knows it, Quatre's staring into violet mixed with cobalt again, lost in the impossible color.

Oh, wait. He's looking at him?

...Duo's looking at him.

"Is there something on my face?" Duo asks, lightly scratching a cheek.

Quatre blinks. Once. Then twice. Then another time. And then it registers.

"Oh, no, it's…" he gives a stiff smile out of habit, "It's nothing, sorry."

"If you say so," Duo laughs softly, tugging the blond forward to follow along with the line.

When Quatre finally peels his eyes off of Duo, he notices it's almost time for them to board. Quatre's still half in a daze when Duo pulls him up the platform stairs, grinning widely, eyes sparkling with excitement. But he snaps out of it when he nearly trips while stepping into the metallic pink carriage, large glass windows curved to fit the circular shape of the frame. 

The bench is a little chilly when Quatre sits down first. Duo is quick to hop into the carriage after him, settling opposite to the door. Quatre thanks the attendant as they lock the door, and Duo gives a friendly wave as they move away from the platform.

Once far enough out of sight - meaning after being lifted just enough so that they can't be seen from the ground - Duo scoots closer to Quatre to look out through the glass and out over the harbor, hands shoved into his pockets to avoid the cold. Quatre's hands are folded neatly in his lap. The pair face each other, but their eyes are turned to the water. Briefly, Quatre glances at his watch. There's only a few more minutes until the fireworks start. 

The carriage rises smoothly and steadily with the regular rotation of the Ferris wheel. The feeling is like night and day compared to various blast-offs of years long past.

There isn't much Quatre has on his mind to talk about, and that seems to be the case for Duo, too. And that’s okay. Quatre was plenty used to sitting in silence between them, still and serene - peaceful and quiet. Idly twiddling his thumbs, Quatre gazes out into the deep blue, dotted with distant city lights on the other side of the shore, then back to the braided man next to him, who's smiling as he enjoys the same view. His eyes almost glow in the moonlight.

"Just a little bit longer," Quatre says. Duo nods.

The thumb twiddling turns to hand wringing as the cold starts to get to the blond's fingers. He doesn't want to tuck them away. 

Quatre wishes Duo's hands weren't hidden away in his pockets.

Duo raises a brow.

"Cold?" he asks.

"...A little bit, yeah," Quatre admits under his breath. At least his cheeks feel rosy. But he doesn't have any way to check and see if that's really the case.

"Are you okay?" Duo wiggles around to push himself a little closer. Quatre gives a small nod before turning his eyes back to the window.

In the distance, the first fireworks launch, sounding off as they bloom like flowers made of light. Quatre watches their reflections sparkle on the waves and smiles.

The next round fires loudly, and again, the pair are mesmerized by the distant, but ever impressive display, when suddenly, there's a jolt - not particularly violent, but enough to make Quatre - who'd been sitting on his knees to get a better view - lose his balance.

He catches himself with one leg. Duo catches him by the arm.

When Quatre settles back on the seat and looks towards the wheel and the rest of the carriages, everything seems oddly still. He's scanning for a point of reference between them and the rest of their surroundings when he realizes just how close they are to the top of the wheel.

"...Did we stop?" Duo asks.

"I… think so," Quatre's voice falters as he acknowledges their unfortunate reality. 

He doesn't dare look down as the fireworks continue. He concentrates to check for movement. The carriage remains still. The wheel is definitely not going anywhere.

In his lap, Quatre's hands grip at his overcoat, bunching up the fabric over his thighs.

"Quat?"

"...Mm-hm?" Quatre sounds, not looking up. 

Duo scoots next to him again, making the carriage sway slightly.

"Duo…!" Quatre snaps and turns toward him, unable to conceal the tension in his tone.

Duo's hands are out of his pockets. He draws them back.

"Wh… What?" He looks somewhere between surprised, confused, and hurt.

Frantically, Quatre shakes his head. "Sorry, it's nothing, I just…"

Hesitantly, Quatre faces Duo again. He can't find the right words to apologize. He just looks lost.

Duo takes in that expression for a moment. Then, he puts out his hands.

"Here," he offers. "You're cold, aren't you?"

He smiles when Quatre places his hands in his, then grasps them gently, slowly running calloused thumbs over smooth fingers.

He breathes a sigh of relief when Quatre smiles back.

"It's pretty," Quatre sighs, glancing at the fireworks again, still shining against the night sky and the quiet sea.

"...Yeah."

Quatre closes his eyes and breathes, squeezing Duo's hands a little tighter before he looks back to him.

Duo doesn't ask if Quatre's scared. He just looks into aquamarine eyes, earnestly, hoping the message gets across. He's here. It'll be okay.

Wearily, Quatre leans forward, resting his head on Duo's chest. Duo takes in a deep breath of his own.

"What a way to kick off the new year, huh?" he laughs softly, rubbing circles into Quatre's skin.

"I'd rather not think about it," Quatre sighs.

"They'll get us back down eventually," Duo reassures him, "but you never know, maybe us being stuck up here won't be so bad."

"It's cold, and steel Ferris wheel carriages aren't as sturdy as mobile suits."  
"Yeah, but at least we get a better view of the fireworks than everybody else."

"I can't see them from here," Quatre mutters against the stiff fabric of Duo's winter coat.

"Then look up," Duo says.

And Quatre does, slowly lifting his head, finding himself nose to nose with the brunet, who dips down and kisses him softly. Quatre makes a small noise in surprise, muffled by the contact. 

Despite himself, he lets the kiss continue for two seconds. Then three. Then he loses count. But he stays where he is, entwining their fingers and leaning into the touch until Duo pulls back to take a breath.

"...Feel any better?" he asks shyly.

"...No."  
"Oh."  
"More, please."

Duo stifles a laugh as he leans in again, brushing their noses together before Quatre gets impatient and presses forward on his own, lifting his arms to slowly wrap around Duo's neck and under his braid. Duo's arms snake around Quatre’s waist, pulling him closer.

This was… nice. And it was warm. And it tasted like the hot cocoa they'd shared at the mall.

As Duo cradles him in his arms, gradually guiding him down, Quatre starts to forget what he was worried about, ignoring the chill of metal and glass against his back. 

Foreheads pressed against one another, they separate for just a moment to breathe.

"I love you," Quatre whispers. Instead of replying, Duo kisses him again, gently, but with almost dizzying intensity. He doesn't need to say anything. Quatre already feels what he means.

Duo's fringe tickles when it brushes against Quatre's skin as Duo moves down to kiss his neck, softly, carefully - he knows the area is sensitive. Quatre tries desperately to hold down giggles and other, more embarrassing sounds, failing miserably.

Duo gives a mischievous look as he slips a hand into the blond's fancy overcoat and underneath his sweater, cold hands sliding smoothly over pale skin. Quatre's eyes fly open at the sudden intrusion. He doesn't move - he's enjoying everything far too much to part - but he's met with the sight of a figure he knows well, sitting and watching from the carriage directly on the other side of the wheel.

Oh _no_.

Oh no, no, no, no, _no_.

The familiarity he felt earlier when he spotted mussed dark brown hair towards the front of the line wasn't his imagination or his persistent paranoia. It was Heero. With Trowa. He was far away, but it was clear where he was looking.

Suddenly, the winter cold seeps back into Quatre’s bones.

"D-Duo," he gasps, voice choked as he tries to wriggle away. Duo either doesn't register the sound, or he ignores it. Most likely the former.

Quatre's face is burning and Duo is almost too warm against him, breath hot, searing his neck and making his brain feel like it's about to short-circuit. Quatre gulps and his eyes are forced shut as Duo continues having his way, but when Quatre gets another glance in, Heero simply chuckles, turning back to his own business with Trowa. Whether he should be relieved, embarrassed, both, or neither, Quatre isn't quite sure.

He is sure, though, that he enjoys the slow, almost torturously tender way Duo's hands explore him - the loving attention they give to his skin - but it's a little too much for him to handle right now amongst the sound of booming fireworks and the lingering mental turmoil born from having been seen.

"Duo," Quatre breathes, resting his head in the crook of the brunet's neck.

"Mm...?" Duo stops, still holding his partner close. "Somethin' up?" he asks, voice lowered.

"Slow down?" the blond requests quietly, hands dangling lazily as his arms rest loosely around Duo's shoulders.

"Sorry," Duo apologizes softly, running his fingers through pale gold. "Did I hurt you anywhere?"

Quatre shakes his head, hugging Duo a little tighter.

The message comes in crystal clear, and Duo chuckles as he hugs back.

Almost as though on cue, the Ferris wheel is set in motion once more.

"I love you so much," Duo sighs a belated reply to Quatre's earlier words, lightly brushing his lips against the blond's ear.

"I love you more," Quatre giggles at the sensation.

"Can we pick up where we left off once we get home?"  
"Of course."


End file.
